A Dining Room Transformation

It's amazing how sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest differences. And while the thing I'm referring to isn't exactly small, I definitely didn't expect it to pack quite the punch it did.

H and I decided to see what the stores had to offer on Black Friday last year, and there were definitely some good deals. I had wanted to put a mirror above the buffet in the dining room for a long time now, and when we found this gorgeous frame for 60% off, I scooped it up right away. We bought some mirror glass for it, and this past weekend, we FINALLY got around to getting it framed.

And while the guy at the framing department at Michael's kind of laughed at us for not doing it ourselves, I really thought it would best be done by a professional. I didn't want to ruin H's grandmother's antique buffet, or be cleaning up shards of glass for days on end, after the glass would have inevitably fallen out of the frame.

Here is the before (at Christmas):

And here it is now:

But anyway, I love how it turned out! It really anchors the dining room, and it's a great focal point. I think it makes the room look more formal as well, and I love how it reflects the kitchen. I just really love those little things that make such a big difference! We are slowly coming along...

Welcome Fall!

I've been MIA a bit again lately- things have been pretty hectic around here. We just spent last weekend in lovely Las Vegas. We barely had time to recuperate from our camping trip before we were on the road again. Oh well, I'm not complaining- I love it! But I have to admit, the remainder of the week was a bit rough- we were definitely still on Pacific time, and was difficult to drag ourselves out of bed at what felt like 4 AM.

However, this weekend was the type I live for. After some well needed rest, the gorgeous fall weather was absolutely perfect. I love the lack of humidity and the cool breeze and being able to open the windows. I was only too happy to start decorating.

This wreath began as a plain branch wreath, some berry garland, and an ugly fake flower arrangement (and of course a little clip on bird with googly eyes!)

I couldn't decide what to do with this garland of leaves that I had. It was part of a centerpiece on our coffee table before, but we no longer have that set-up so I decided to put them around the light fixture in the dining room. I love how it looks from sitting at the table below.

This is the jar I got last winter to fill with pinecones and mini red glittery ornaments. I don't have pictures, but in the summer I filled it with a sea-scented seashell and potpourri mix. And apples and cinnamon sticks are perfect for the fall (and smell so good)!

Nightstand Makeover- Done!

I finally found the time this weekend to finish up (well, almost anyway!) the makeover of the nightstands in the guest room.  

Once upon a time, they looked like this:

Eek! I know. And what a terrible picture...

I decided they would look a lot better in a lighter color, so we sanded them down and chose a super-pale spring green paint. We got new hardware from Lowes, and they're looking so much better now!

The only snag in the plan was the back of the nightstands. Since they were cheapo Ikea ones, the back was a particle board that I'm sure wouldn't take well to being painted. So instead, I decided to find a fabric to cover them in before I nail them back on. I think it would create some great visual interest and make them truly unique. However, I'm having some problems finding the fabric that apparently only exists in my head. Not a big deal though, they work without it for now, and it gives me time to find exactly what I want.

Here they are in the room now- much better picture! And they give it a great feel- more the French country I was going for, and less American country.

Peach Cobbler

I hope everyone had a good weekend!

Ours was relaxing, but went by too fast (as always). We enjoyed a quiet night in on Friday. On Saturday, we had a family reunion on H's mom's side of the family, which was great fun. The food was absolutely delicious, and it was really good to see a lot of family we haven't seen since our wedding (almost a year ago- when did that happen??). And then we enjoyed a nice (albeit crazy hot and humid) night out on the boardwalk with some of H's cousins. Sunday was more relaxing, but with a trip to the farmer's market for some Jersey fresh tomatoes (and peaches) and the beginning of my next project.

This is one of the two matching nightstands we currently have in the guest room. They're from IKEA and we got them when we first moved into our first apartment. They have since been banished to the guest room, and I didn't feel the oak finish was working in there. I decided they would look a whole lot better all pretty-ed up in a really pale spring green.

So here are the two drawers in their new color. I'm super excited about it, I'm positive they'll look great when they're all done. I also got some new hardware for them at Lowe's, that looks just like those super cute and fancy ones from Anthropologie. Score!

But unfortunately, that's all I can show you for now... because that's all I've done so far (I know, I'm easily distracted)! Those peaches we picked up at the farmers market were calling my name, begging me to turn them into this:

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup milk
• 4 cups fresh peach slices
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg 

Preparation

Melt butter in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt; add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over butter (do not stir).
Bring remaining 1 cup sugar, peach slices, and lemon juice to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly; pour over batter (do not stir). Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve cobbler warm or cool.

from Southern Living, on myrecipes.com. Original recipe here.

It was super-easy, and absolutely delicious. I halved the recipe, because somehow I knew we'd probably devour the whole thing in one sitting. I also used skim milk, which didn't affect it at all. All in all, a wonderful way to use up fresh peaches!

Vacation Art

I love the print we bought on our honeymoon, which now hangs above our sofa. Besides the fact that it's bright and cheery and I love the color and style, it reminds me of our honeymoon every day. So much so that I asked H what he thought about picking up a piece of artwork on each vacation we go on as a souvenir. I like the idea because they'll be things that we see every day, to remind us of the memories of each trip we go on together. And what did I know (surprise, surprise), him being the amazing husband that he is, agreed!

So on our recent trip to California, we picked up a few pieces. The first is from Studio 6 in the Mission Village in Balboa Park, San Diego. It's called "Date Night" (how fitting!) and it's by Michelle Gonzalez. We bought a mat and frame for it and put it above our wine and beverage cart (maybe someday wine fridge... ) in the dining room. It looks perfect there! I love the color; the yellows and blues tie it in with the colors in the open living room (basically one big room), while it's a bit warmer, which I think works in the dining room.

The other pieces we got were from Studio Gallery in San Francisco. We bought a (self-created) series of three lithographs by Linda Pederson. They are cute, clean, fun little images of asparagus, beets, and a pineapple. The colors in the three pieces work perfectly together, you never would have known that they weren't created for each other. I was thinking these would go perfectly in the kitchen (they're food after all!), but I don't think they'd work on the blue wall, so I'd have to find space on the white wall- which is limited. They are currently in a vertical row to the left of our cabinets, but I'm thinking they look a bit cramped there and I may look for another spot.

Master Bedroom Mood Board

I am very happy to be able to say that we are making progress in the master bedroom. Over the weekend, we got a new duvet cover and lamps. It's really starting to come together, and the only thing I'm really still on the hunt for is art for above the bed. I really couldn't put my finger on exactly what I was looking for, so I decided to make a few mood boards to help sort out my thoughts.

Here is a mood board of exactly how the bedroom looks now.

white curtains: from llph.co.uk (not ours, just similar); curtain rod: from bedbathandbeyond.com;
furniture: from raymourflanigan.com; bedding: from bedbathandbeyond.com;
lamp: from casasugar.com (again, not ours, just similar);

Here is the first series of prints I found that I thought could do the trick. I'm not sure what I think of them- they feel too matchy, but they don't match perfectly. And so, I'm thinking that means they kind of clash.

wall art: artist jan weiss from art.com

Then I thought about bringing in brighter and warmer tones. They've always felt more appropriate to me for a bedroom. I like the pop of red in the panels here, but it still doesn't feel right- it feels kind of random to me.

wall art: artist chen ping hung from shutterstock

Then I found this one, which really caught my eye. It had the pop of color, but the browns that were already in the room are the main palate. I also happen to think it's really versatile.

wall art: artist mark lawrence from art.com

I'm definitely leaning towards the last one for inspiration. I'd love to DIY something, we'll see how that goes.

Bargain Shopping

A few days ago, I got a coupon in the mail for $10 off a purchase at JCPenney's. I heard they were having some pretty good sales as well, so after work on Friday I decided to stop by. Well, it was totally worth it!

I headed up to the furniture and home decor section, where there were indeed a few good sales going on. I found this lantern for $15, on sale from $50! It's large and sturdy, and looks perfect on our entryway table. With the coupon, it would only be $5, whoo score! But unfortunately, I failed to read the fine print and it wasn't valid on furniture, which apparently a lantern is. Oh well, it was still too good of a deal to pass up.

So I headed downstairs in search of something I actually could use the coupon on. The jewelry caught my eye, and I found this cocktail ring on sale for $12.50, down from $20. And with my coupon, a grand total of $2.50- nice! So all in all, I got a gorgeous cocktail ring and an oh-so-perfect lantern for less than $20 total. It was a good day :)

Aqua and Red

Whoo, back to decorating! As much as I love food, it's refreshing to post about something decor-related. So, I decided I would take the time to share my love of the color combination of aqua and red paired with a clean, crisp white. It's my inspiration for our computer room when I finally get back around to it.

Here are a few inspiration pictures I found from the blog House of Turquoise:

This one is my favorite! Love how the combo works in this one.

Yes, I realize this is a bathroom, but the colors are still great.

Pillow Talk

I think I have the winter blues. I can't stop thinking "tropical" thoughts, decor, everything. Now it's accent pillows. I love the colors and patterns and how much fun they are.

(from uniqueglasshomedecor.com)

(from pillowdecor.com)

(from myhomeideas.com)

(from apartmenttherapy.com)

(from amazon.com)

Summer can't get here fast enough!

Living Room Before and Now

After writing about my tropical modern inspirations, I realized I never posted about the progress on our living room. We actually did all this painting Halloween weekend, the first weekend after we got back from our honeymoon. We didn't waste any time!

Most of the walls- living room, dining room, and kitchen were all a muted yellow. Except for the (accent?) wall in the middle, which was sponge painted orange.

Looking into the dining room, from the living room.

The living room from the stairs.

And now- we did the living room and dining room walls a bright, sunny yellow. We also did the accent wall a cobalt blue and the kitchen a natural white, but I realize I didn't take any pictures of it yet!

View of the living room from right when you walk in the door.

View of the living room from the dining room.

Closeup of the honeymoon art on the wall above the sofa.

The dining room table. Yes, those are still our Christmas cards there :P

Antique buffet in the dining room.

It's coming along pretty well! I just wish I had the cash to decorate as much as I want to :P

Tropical Modern

When I get bored or uninspired decorating-wise, I like to think of more or less random adjectives to Google in front of "decor" just to see what I find. Today I chose "tropical modern" because that's kind of how I feel our living room is. It has a bright sunny yellow, cobalt blues, dark brown, and natural white and the painting we bought on our honeymoon is most definitely tropical-inspired. I found a whole lot of bright colors and airiness and natural accents laid-back-ness.

Love the light, airy feeling of the white and the natural accents.

(from user xJavierx on flickr.com)

I like the effortless combination of styles, and the pops of color.

(image from villacostarica.com)

The earthy color palate really works here.

(images from moderndesignblog.com)

(from laanatu.com)

(from housedesignnews.com)

(from hostessblog.com)

(from elledecor.com)

(from besthousedesign.com)

(from apartmenttherapy.com)